WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT THE "TIME FOR ACTION TOUR" DAY ONE

"Looking like anything but a stranger in a foreign land, the man who looks like the frontrunner for the Republican ticket in this year's presidential race began his journey through the heart of the Democratically-controlled Black Belt." -- Selma Times-Journal
McCain "Went To Places That Republicans Seldom Visit":
Montgomery Advertiser: People "Could Not Recall A Presidential Candidate Ever Stopping There." "The U.S. senator from Arizona started his day in Selma and rode his bus through rural Alabama to Gee's Bend, Camden and Thomasville. The areas are heavily Democratic, and the people in those last three communities could not recall a presidential candidate ever stopping there. They were grateful." (Sebastian Kitchen, "McCain Tours State's Rural Democratic Turf," Montgomery Advertiser, 4/22/08)
ABC News: McCain "Campaigning Where GOP Candidates For President Rarely Go." "Far from the Democratic battlefield of Pennsylvania, Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was campaigning where GOP candidates for president rarely go because they don't have to." (Ron Claiborne, "In Selma, McCain Recalls Civil Rights March," ABC News, 4/21/08)
· ABC News: "Even More Extraordinary, McCain Went To Selma, The Site Of One Of The Most Notorious Episodes Of The Civil Rights Movement, And Talked About That Episode." (Ron Claiborne, "In Selma, McCain Recalls Civil Rights March," ABC News, 4/21/08)
Birmingham News: McCain "Went To Places That Republicans Seldom Visit." "McCain's ride across the Alabama was the highlight of a day in which he went to places that Republicans seldom visit and that he said too often are forgotten by too many Americans." (Charles J. Dean, "In Black Belt, McCain Wins Hearts, Not Votes," Birmingham News, 4/22/08)
CNN: McCain Travels "To Areas Far From The Standard GOP Campaign Trail." "The trip will take McCain to areas far from the standard GOP campaign trail, including hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, the Appalachian region of Kentucky, blue-collar Youngstown, Ohio." ("McCain Launches Outreach Effort," CNN, 4/21/08)
CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "And John McCain Is Going To Some Places Other Republican Presidential Candidates Have Often Ignored." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 4/21/08)
MSNBC: "Traveling Off The Traditional Campaign Path In Rural Alabama Today, McCain Has Visited Sites That Are A Far Cry From The Typical Battlegrounds Of Republican Politics." (Carrie Dann and Adam Aigner-Treworgy, "Finally, Sweet Home Alabama For McCain," MSNBC's First Read, 4/21/08)
Reuters: McCain "Visiting Places Where Republican Candidates Do Not Normally Go." "While Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton battle for their party's presidential nomination, McCain as his party's presumptive nominee is visiting places where Republican candidates do not normally go." (Steve Holland, "Republican McCain Serenaded On Alabama Tour," Reuters, 4/21/08)
The Washington Times: "McCain Headed Into Places Republican Candidates Rarely Go." "Sen. John McCain headed into places Republican candidates rarely go and talked about issues Republicans don't often discuss as the Democratic presidential candidates continued to battle for their party's nomination." (Joseph Curl, "McCain Visits 'Forgotten' America," The Washington Times, 4/22/08)
Montgomery Advertiser: McCain "Spent Most Of Monday In Areas Without Cell Phone Service." "He has been in larger cities for fundraisers, as he was later Monday in Birmingham and Homewood, but spent most of Monday in areas without cell phone service." (Sebastian Kitchen, "McCain Tours State's Rural Democratic Turf," Montgomery Advertiser, 4/22/08)
Los Angeles Times: Selma Stop "Unusual For A Member Of His Party." "And his first stop certainly was unusual for a member of his party -- Selma, Ala., site of infamous beatings of civil rights marchers during a 1965 demonstration and part of a congressional district that Democrat John Kerry carried by almost 30 percentage points over President Bush in 2004." (Don Frederick, "John McCain Visits 'Forgotten Places' (Hoping Swing Voters Remember)," Los Angeles Times' "Top Of The Ticket" Blog, 4/21/08)
· Birmingham News: "He Will Spend Most Of His Day Campaigning In Selma, Gee's Bend And Thomasville, Communities That Are Mostly Poor, Black And That Overwhelmingly Vote Democratic." (Charles J. Dean, "McCain to Visit Some Of State's Poorest Areas," Birmingham News, 4/21/08)
· CNN's Dana Bash: "First Visit In Memory From A Republican Presidential Candidate." "Standing in front of Selma, Alabama, famous bridge, a tribute to civil rights leaders beaten for marching on it four decades ago. ... This was the first visit in memory from a Republican presidential candidate, John McCain's whole point in coming." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 4/21/08)
· CNN's Dana Bash: "Empty Selma Storefronts Illustrate Economic Hardship And High Unemployment. McCain Said His Conservative Principles Will Help." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 4/21/08)
Local Voices Praise John McCain:
Birmingham News: "Prominent Democrats Watching McCain On Monday Praised His Visit." (Charles J. Dean, "In Black Belt, McCain Wins Hearts, Not Votes," Birmingham News, 4/22/08)
· State Sen. Hank Sanders (D-Selma): "Sometimes people can get lost in the shuffle ... and I think this visit is so important to help say those people are out here." (Charles J. Dean, "In Black Belt, McCain Wins Hearts, Not Votes," Birmingham News, 4/22/08)
· Democrat State School Board Member Ella Bell: "Take my presence here today as a sign of respect to a presidential candidate who came to my poor district. He said some things that struck some folks' heart." (Charles J. Dean, "In Black Belt, McCain Wins Hearts, Not Votes," Birmingham News, 4/22/08)
Montgomery Advertiser: "Those Democrats As Well As Republican Gov. Bob Riley Said No Other National Politician Has Ever Been Willing To Travel To The Poor, Rural Areas Of Alabama." (Sebastian Kitchen, "McCain Tours State's Rural Democratic Turf," Montgomery Advertiser, 4/22/08)
Montgomery Advertiser: "The People Of Gee's Bend Welcomed McCain Warmly." "The people of Gee's Bend welcomed McCain warmly. The famous quilters, whose work has been on display in museums throughout the nation and featured on postage stamps, sang and even danced as they accompanied McCain into a senior nutrition center and to see their quilts." (Sebastian Kitchen, "McCain Tours State's Rural Democratic Turf," Montgomery Advertiser, 4/22/08)
· Quilter Mary Lee Bendolph: "I thank the Lord he sent him over to be with us. ... Senator McCain coming here shows he cares for us. He came and showed his respect to us." (Sebastian Kitchen, "McCain Tours State's Rural Democratic Turf," Montgomery Advertiser, 4/22/08)
· Bendolph: "He came here and he did something, and you know what, nobody else did." (Elisabeth Bumiller, "On McCain Tour, A Promise To Find 'Forgotten' America," The New York Times, 4/22/08)
· Quilter Nettie Young: "Ninety years old and I never thought I'd see this. ... Republicans don't come to this bend." (Michael Finnegan And Maeve Reston, "Traveling Off The Beaten Trail," Los Angeles Times, 4/22/08)
Tuscaloosa News: Thomasville Town Hall Meeting "Jam-Packed." "Finishing the day in Clarke County, he got a warm reception at a town meeting in a jam-packed auditorium at Alabama Southern Junior College." (Robert DeWitt, "Education Reform Tops List During McCain's Visit To State," Tuscaloosa News, 4/22/08)
In The Headlines:
ABC News: "In Selma, McCain Recalls Civil Rights March" (Ron Claiborne, "In Selma, McCain Recalls Civil Rights March," ABC News, 4/21/08)
The Associated Press: "In Selma, McCain Praises Civil Rights Marchers"(Libby Quaid, "In Selma, McCain Praises Civil Rights Marchers," The Associated Press, 4/21/08)
Birmingham News: "McCain To Visit Some Of State's Poorest Areas" (Charles J. Dean, "McCain to Visit Some Of State's Poorest Areas," Birmingham News, 4/21/08)
Montgomery Advertiser: "McCain Tours State's Rural Democratic Turf" (Sebastian Kitchen, "McCain Tours State's Rural Democratic Turf," Montgomery Advertiser, 4/22/08)
Montgomery Advertiser: "McCain Tours Black Belt Today"(Sebastian Kitchen, "McCain Tours Black Belt Today," Montgomery Advertiser, 4/21/08)
The New York Times: "On McCain Tour, A Promise To Find 'Forgotten' America"(Elisabeth Bumiller, "On McCain Tour, A Promise To Find 'Forgotten' America," The New York Times, 4/22/08)
Reuters: "Republican McCain Serenaded On Alabama Tour"(Steve Holland, "Republican McCain Serenaded On Alabama Tour," Reuters, 4/21/08)
Selma Times-Journal: "McCain Stirs Crowd With 'Action' Plan"(George L. Jones, "McCain Stirs Crowd With 'Action' Plan," Selma Times-Journal, 4/22/08)
USA Today: "McCain To Launch Tour At Pettus Bridge" (David Jackson, "McCain To Launch Tour At Pettus Bridge," USA Today, 4/21/08)
The Washington Post: "McCain Campaigns In 'Forgotten Places'"(Michael Shear, "McCain Campaigns In 'Forgotten Places,'" The Washington Post, 4/22/08)
The Washington Times: "McCain Visits 'Forgotten' America" (Joseph Curl, "McCain Visits 'Forgotten' America," The Washington Times, 4/22/08)